Queen of the South - My Season 6: Full Circle

Chapter 16, Cuentas Pendientes IV

The next morning, they had met the lawyers in their fancy offices in another building in the town's center and after Teresa had signed a pile of papers, they had left them alone in the conference room for a minute.

"Guero gifted me the house we lived in ...as a birthday present...but apparently he never filed the deed he signed off to me with the registrar office...pinche cabron...no surprise his good intentions were marred by his poor execution...", she said to James and scoffed.

"Hmm?...You would've torn it down too?" he ventured.

"Possibly...or I would have sold it...but it looks like it has been expropriated and then reclaimed or bought off...as the government would prefer that someone pays taxes on the properties...rather than just keeping them vacant", she added.

Licenciado Alvarez, their appointed counsel, was a man in his late fifties, with balding hairline and an impeccable suit. He informed them that Tereza Valdez's application for the reclaiming of the Vargas property located on Calle 36, Culiacan South, had been approved. The funds transfer from the bank in Cape Town had been received at his bank an hour ago and it would take several business days until ownership papers would be ready. Once these had been signed, the design company they would contract on Teresa's behalf could hire demolition experts, while his office would work with the City to have the necessary permits issued. El licenciado advised that his staff was in the process of interviewing several design contractors and that they would get in touch over the next day or so. He recommended to Teresa and James that they enjoyed Culiacan's festival this week as it was the last for the summer season.

James followed Teresa into the café bar in the lobby of the building. She perched on a bar stool and ordered two large tequila shots, extra anejo!

"It's hardly noon, Teresa!" James said raising his eyebrows after hearing her order.

She shrugged and said nonchalantly: "It's past 8 p.m. in Langebaan, James...bottoms up!"

===

They decided to heed the licenciado's suggestion and go to the Festival which closely resembled the one they had visited in Hermosillo but was several times bigger. The night was young, the air filled with summer aromas and Latin music, so they both felt close to turning an important page.

There was a parade of people dressed in bright colorful costumes, carrying puppets bigger than themselves or huge burning candles and dancing to the music of bands accompanying the parade. The crowds were getting bigger and bigger and the level of noise higher and higher.

Teresa and James had just finished drinking a glass of gazpacho each at one of the stands a little off of the main parade street when a terrified cry broke the mood. People started looking around with fear in their eyes and James saw the same wild look take over Teresa in a few heartbeats. "Something is wrong!" she whispered clenching his hand to the point of causing him pain: "I hope they don't start to shoot!" Some people started running away, while others ran in the direction of the loud cry, which came once again.

James's instincts had kicked in as he realized that he had only his gun in the back of his pants. He had not looked for escape routes and was not sure if the hotel was to the north or to the north east of the their location.

After a few more beats, the noise of police sirens filled in the air and then two police armed vehicles, lights flashing, appeared in the distance on one of the streets driving at a speed much higher than what would be considered safe. James and Teresa moved hesitantly with the people around them following the police cars along the street which in hundred meters ended in a quiet small garden with a little fountain. The police were in the process of securing the area as people kept coming. Two dead bodies, with dirty blood-smeared shirts hung from the two large trees, one to the left and one to the right of the garden entrance. It was too far to see clearly if they were male or female, but Teresa pulled James by the arm in the opposite direction, shaking and looking like a frightened rabbit: "This is a cartel kill...their tongues have most likely been cut out...let's get out of here...please!"